The Emergence of a European Public Sphere. An analysis of Europe’s News Website presseurop.eu
The Emergence of a European Public Sphere. An analysis of Europe’s News Website presseurop.eu

Summary/Abstract: This paper seeks to draw attention upon the most recent media instrument through which the European Union (and the DG Communication, in particular) seeks to contribute to the consolidation of a deliberative arena dedicated to the public debate on European subjects. We propose an examination of this media tool – presseurop.eu portal – in order to see the extent to which it is able to serve its designated purpose. We look at the structure of the portal, at its content, its functionality and at the characteristics of its audience. Our analysis starts from the theoretical discussions around the emergence of a European public sphere and the correlation with its intrinsically related concept of public sphere. Given the great amount of literature on the subject, we have chosen to briefly point out the ideas that have significantly influenced research carried out in the field. Our goal is to demonstrate how media tools used to enhance communication on Europe may affect the transmission and the reception of the content, irrespective of the theoretical stance taken towards the constitution of the European public sphere as such.

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